Putin's folly: The Pentagon revealed a staggering figure for Russia's expenses in the war.

According to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Russia has lost at least 700,000 military personnel and spent over $200 billion since the onset of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These figures were mentioned by the defense minister on December 8 during the Ronald Reagan National Security Forum in California.

As he stated, Russian losses in manpower have reached at least 700,000 individuals during this period. Furthermore, the losses in the first year of the war, according to the Pentagon chief, may have exceeded Russia's casualties in all conflicts since World War II combined. Austin noted that in recent months, the occupiers have been losing up to 1,000 personnel daily.

"Russia has paid a staggering price for Putin's folly. Since February 2022, Russia has lost at least 700,000 casualties. It has spent over $200 billion," Austin said.

In his speech, the Pentagon chief essentially summarized four years of activity, as it is now clear that a different person will lead the department under Donald Trump. Among other things, the minister reviewed the assistance provided to Ukraine.

Austin reminded that the U.S. has transferred two Patriot batteries, 24 HIMARS rocket systems, thousands of armored vehicles, and millions of artillery shells to Ukraine during this time. The total amount allocated for military aid since February 2022 exceeds $62 billion.

Trump and Zelensky Discuss Ukraine and Russia's Casualties

As reported by Informator, on December 8, following a meeting in Paris with the Ukrainian leader, Trump published a call for an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations on his social media platform Truth Social. He emphasized that now is the "time for action for Vladimir (Putin), and China can help," as Ukraine has allegedly signaled its willingness to negotiate with Russia.

According to Trump, Ukraine is weakened, having supposedly lost 400,000 soldiers and many more civilians. Therefore, he stressed, "Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and end the madness." The American politician added that "about 600,000 Russian soldiers lie wounded or dead in a war that should never have started and could last forever."

On December 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly stated Russia's casualties, apparently in response to Trump, and for the first time since February 2024, he mentioned Ukraine's losses. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine has lost 43,000 soldiers, and 370,000 cases of assistance to the wounded have been recorded. Updated data on Russian losses exceeds 750,000 military personnel, emphasized Zelensky. This includes 198,000 killed Russians and over 550,000 wounded. Following this, Trump mentioned in an interview with The New York Post that the losses of Russia amount to 700,000 individuals.